During its coverage of the downed Malaysian passenger jet on Thursday, MSNBC found itself on the receiving end of a prank by an apparent fan of radio host Howard Stern.

Krystal Ball, a co-host of "The Cycle," thought she had an eyewitness to the crash on the phone. She didn't.

"Well, I was looking out the window and I saw a projectile flying through the sky and it would appear that the plane was shot down by a blast of wind from Howard Stern's ass," the caller said.

Ball did not initially catch on to the prank, responding to the obscenity with an earnest question. The caller, likely expecting to be disconnected immediately, couldn't believe the host's obliviousness.

"Boy, you're a dumbass, aren't you?" he said, prompting Ball to cut to a commercial break.